The beast and love
by MyIvoryHeart
Summary: "They say that all is fair in love and war. They're wrong. Whoever said that obviously never fought a war in order to keep love. But I have. I have fought imprinting." Sam/Leah.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, I just play with it.**

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They say that all is fair in love and war. They're wrong. Whoever said that obviously never fought a war in order to keep love. But I have. I have fought imprinting.

My enemy was strong. It had cunning tactics, remarkable manipulation skills, and brute strength. Enemies with such determination as my foe are forces that cannot be stopped. They will stop at nothing to have love firmly in their grasp.

I had no weapons and no means of defence. My allies had turned against me. I was not prepared for the relentless attack this beast unleashed upon me. I was helpless. I fought with everything I had in order to keep love as mine, but it was taken from me.

I had love in my grasp; it was my prisoner of war. Then a creature rose up and challenged me to take it for itself. I fought with all my might but the beast was sly and skillful, and I was ill prepared for the oncoming attack. I kept love around for as long as I could, safe in the stronghold of my heart. The beast would not give up; it was blood thirsty for battle and had its eyes on the prize. As I hid inside my stronghold with love held close, I heard the beast searching for a way in.

Hearing the angry growling of the determined beast in my ears, I whispered to love,

"I've got you here and I will keep you safe."

The walls of my fragile heart were penetrated soon enough and the beast victoriously made its way into my sanctuary. It stalked around the corridors with lust in its eyes and heat on its breath, searching each and every corner and straining to pick up the scent of its target. I sent out my battalion to fight it off while I thought of a way to conceal love from the greedy monster. But this monster was not only strong; it was also persuasive. Its words were as deadly as any weapons. Its sharp tongue manipulated my forces and they had turned against me and left me there alone. It was just love and I, standing together. I felt weak and overpowered, so evasion was the only method I could resort to. I ran deeper and deeper into my castle; desperately searching for a place I could hide love. I searched frantically for a place where no one but me could find it, not even the beast. I ran as I could hear the faint footsteps gaining on me. The beast had picked up the scent. I reached the farthest, darkest, deepest area of my heart and placed love gently inside a golden cage.

"Here the beast will not find you. You are mine to keep and cherish and I will protect you always."

I closed the cage and smiled in admiration at love and its beauty. Oh how special it was to me. I was awakened from my trance by a hideous noise. I began to panic. How did the beast find us? Instantly I entered my defensive mode, ready to fight the beast and keep it away from love. I was not going to let it take away something so precious to me. Soon I saw the beast approach and I kept my face as stone, for I would not show it fear. It came close and I could feel its power radiating from its body.

"You do not deserve love. I have come to take it from you."

Its voice rumbled and echoed through the catacombs of my heart. I stood my ground. With clenched fists, I felt my nails digging into my palms and my breathing was heavy.

"I do not wish to fight you, but just know that I will if I must. Hand over love and I will leave you alone for as long as you live. You will never see me again."

The words of the beast were not persuading me to move. My feet were held firmly in place and I was ready to risk anything to keep love in my possession. The beast studied my stance and my face, read me like a book, and nodded its head in understanding.

"I see. You could have easily ended this war before it even started. But instead you forced it to continue until the end, and at the end, I will be the victor and love will be mine."

"Then you will have to fight me for it after all. I'll do anything to keep love safe."

The beast began to charge at me. Swiftly I evaded its rush. To my dismay, this beast was smart. Fast and unexpectedly, it swung its arm at me and grabbed me by the throat. I struggled to pry its hand off but I was too weak. Pinning me against the wall of my heart, it spoke intensely,

"You do not understand. You are a fool. I must take love. I must. It is not your fate to have love as yours. Love will only betray you and hurt you. You fight this war with me to keep safe something that will only cause you pain. It's not worth risking everything you have."

The beast's hand squeezed tighter and breathing became difficult. I tried to respond but could not. It drew me back from the wall. With me held still in its grasp, it walked over to the cage.

"Ahh, there you are at last."

The beast spoke softly as it bent down to take a look at love.

It lowered me next to the cage, not for a second letting go of me.

"Open it. Open the cage."

My arms did not move. A snarl appeared on the face of the beast.

"Open the cage, now! I don't have much patience for these games. Hand me love and I will be on my way."

Still I refused its request. It began to shake me in anger and impatience.

"Listen to me, open that cage. If you do not give me love I will not hesitate to kill you for what I came for."

It was looking me in the eyes and I could feel that this beast was not going to give up. As I stared back into its eyes, I felt the anger building up in my own. I realized I was fighting a war I was not going to win. I knew I had to raise my white flag and give the beast what it came for. I did not have a choice. Hesitantly and slowly, I reached my hand for the latch on the cage.

I unlatched the door and opened it. I stared back at the beast with a sunken look on my face,

"Please, I just.."

"I will wait no longer. Give."

I was shaking terribly as the situation only became more real. I reached my hand into the cage and wrapped my fingers tenderly around love. Feeling its warming presence, I then took it from the cage and held in front of my face. For the final time I admired love and its beauty. I gave it one last genuine smile. With its free hand, the beast grabbed love and ripped it away from my grasp. The beast then dropped me hard to the floor.

"You made a wise decision."

Rubbing my throat, coughing, and struggling for breath, I watched the beast stomp its way towards the wall of my heart, quickly it burst through and escaped with love in the blink of an eye, leaving a gaping hole in my heart. I felt it. I felt the loss of love deep inside. I felt it in my soul. Every bone inside me ached, every inch of my skin burned; every corner of my mind became dark. Still on the floor, unable to find the will to stand, I glanced behind me at the now empty cage.

"I swore to always protect you and I have failed. I let you be taken from me. I'm so sorry."

I lay down and clenched my legs tightly against me. I let my eyes close.

"Maybe the beast was right. Maybe you would have caused me pain. But love, you would have been worth the pain. The pain would have been worth all the happiness you could have brought me. Now you are gone. This war is done and I have lost."

Still I lay there in the desolate, deep corridor of my heart. I stare longingly at the empty cage that once held love. I lay there wondering if I will ever encounter the beast again. Every day I prepare myself to be ready for another war with the beast. I prepare myself to battle it with all that I am, and take love back to be rightfully mine again. I will perfect my tactics and gather the mightiest weapons and conquer the creature that stole the very thing that made me feel alive. I may never find the beast again, and love may always remain taken from me, but if I do meet this monster once more, this time I will overcome it. I will get my treasure back, and if I must, I will fight for it until the day I no longer exist. I will fight for my Leah.

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**I dislike this more, each time I read it.**


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